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Ultimatum
"Ultimatum" is the ninth episode of . It originally aired on December 4, 2004. It depicts the appearance of a rival superhero team, the Ultimen. The Justice League is unsure what to make of them, then has to intervene when the members become unstable and violent. Plot A Justice League team intervenes on an offshore oil rig, when sentient magma creatures arise from the sea and attack the workers. Aquaman, accompanying them, had warned that such would be the result of drilling too deep. However, the League are joined by another team of superheroes, the Ultimen. In short order, the day is saved, and the spokesman, Wind Dragon, gives a short speech. Aquaman is openly disgusted, and even Superman is a little put off by the Ultimen's "goody-goody" attitude. The Ultimen differ from the Justice League in many ways; under the auspices of their sponsor, Maxwell Lord, they have a much higher public profile (and a much more commercial one) than the League; and for all their professed admiration of the League and commitment to justice, they seem to have little interest in joining forces with them. However, Wonder Woman takes a liking to one of them, Long Shadow, who frankly says his greatest wish is to join the League, but the others are holding back – Wind Dragon says they're not ready for the privilege yet. Things start to go awry when Wind Dragon, in the middle of battle, suddenly develops a new and alarming "freeze wind" power that surprises even himself. Lord encourages the team to take a break for a while while staying at their lab for observation. But, eavesdropping on him and a mysterious woman, they learn that not everything is as it seems. Following Lord, they sneak into a secret laboratory and find clones of themselves in suspended animation. They are all horrified to learn the truth: they are artificial beings, cloned to serve as weapons for the U.S. government. Their memories of childhood were falsely implanted; and those persons who they thought were their family and friends were actors used to maintain the illusion. Moreover, they have heard Professor Hamilton telling the woman that their genetic structures are becoming unstable, and they all have less than a year to live. They are merely the current batch of a perennially-doomed experiment in creating and cloning metahumans to be used how their creators see fit. Wind Dragon's mind breaks, and he goes on a violent rampage. Juice, Shifter, and Downpour join him, but Long Shadow tries to stop them. The League is forced to intervene, and the Ultimen are subdued after a tense battle. As the offending Ultimen are being taken away by authorities, the mysterious woman and Lord arrive along with a squad of soldiers. Lord appeals to the Ultimen and pledges to see to it that their last days are comfortable and promises, "we will take care of you." Confused and scared, they decide to trust him, in spite of everything they've learned. As soldiers escort members of the Ultimen away, more move in to take Long Shadow along as well. Wonder Woman steps in between the soldiers and Long Shadow to block their way. The woman exclaims "you need to come with us" but is quickly confronted by Batman refusing to let it happen, saying Shadow is with the Justice League now. The woman calls on the soldiers who take aim at Long Shadow. Superman and Aquaman move in front of him, blocking their line of shot. Batman smiles at the woman saying: "Mine are bigger than yours." The woman reluctantly gives up saying Shadow is free to go with them for however long he has left to live, but when Batman pushes for information about who she and the organization are she presses back saying he shouldn't probe the situation, calling him "rich boy" in an undertone – indicating she knows his secret identity. Taken aback, Batman withdraws. Arriving at the Watchtower, Wonder Woman welcomes Long Shadow into the Justice League, to live out his dream and be a true hero for as much time as he has left. Continuity * Giganta and Bizarro make a failed attempt to break Grodd out of prison, whose last appearances was in the episode, "Secret Society". It's unclear, however, if he has been incarcerated ever since. * The original Ultimen, including Long Shadow, do not appear again; subsequently, they appear only as semi-sentient clones. This indicates that the League was unable to save Long Shadow from dying prematurely. * Waller makes reference to "the Squad" which she threatens to send after the Ultimen, a possible reference to Task Force X, which will appear in the episode of the same name. * As the subsequent episode, "The Doomsday Sanction" reveals, Professor Hugo Strange is working for Waller as one of the department heads of Cadmus. He previously appeared in the episode "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne", where he ascertained Batman's secret identity (though his confidence in his discovery was shaken by the end the episode). Nevertheless, this likely accounts for how Waller knew Batman's secret identity as when she addressed him as "rich boy". Background information Home video releases * * Justice League - The Complete Series (DVD) Production inconsistencies * The last time Bizarro was seen in episode "Little Big Head Man" he was returned to a distant, deserted planet, and left under the care of Mr. Mxyzptlk. No explanation for his return is given. Trivia * First DCAU appearances of Amanda Waller, Maxwell Lord, and the Ultimen. * In this episode, Giganta sports a yellow version of the outfit she wore in "Secret Society". In her subsequent appearances she goes back to her trademark pink dress. * The Ultimen bear strong resemblances to the original characters created for the Super Friends series in the 1970s and 80s. stumble upon "Wonder Dog".]] * The League members appearing in this episode were the same four characters that comprised the original Super Friends team: Batman, Superman, Aquaman and Wonder Woman. * The Lava Men are similar to the creatures from the SuperFriends episode of the same name. * The Ultimen's headquarters resembles the Hall of Justice, headquarters of the SuperFriends. * Dwayne McDuffie claims that "the beast that threw itself against the bars" is a nod to the Wonder Dog.http://jl.toonzone.net/episode34/episode34.htm. It appears to be the same model as the Cerestone dog monsters in the Batman Beyond episode "Ace in the Hole". * The extent of Aquaman's involvement with the League is uncertain; in "The Terror Beyond" and the subsequent episode of , "Wake the Dead", it is arm's-length at best, but in this episode he is shown sitting at the main conference table with the other founding members, and referring to the League as "us". It's also possible Aquaman simply took a special interest in this case seeing as how the magma creatures were rustled from the ocean floor, which is part of his kingdom. * Aquaman's presence at the main conference table is a possible reference to Aquaman being of the original Justice Leaguers in mainstream comics, especially considering the seventh chair Hawkgirl (who was brought in Aquaman's stead in the original seven) used is still there. * Long Shadow and Wind Dragon manifesting new powers is probably also a nod to Superfriends, the writers of which having been accused of constantly making up convenient new powers for the characters. * Bizarro's declaration before attacking Wonder Woman at the prison is a likely reference to Mighty Mouse (a superhero mouse) who was known for singing "Here I come to save the day!" when flying into action. Cast Uncredited appearances * Aztek * Atom Smasher * Booster Gold * Crimson Fox * Dove * Fire * Gypsy * Hawk * Ice * J'onn J'onzz * Nemesis * Obsidian * The Ray * Red Tornado * Shining Knight * Starman * Steel * Supergirl * Mike Quotes Category:A to Z Category:Justice League Unlimited episodes